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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Mercury Discussion / Case to diguise Optima Battery?

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Discussion Topic: Case to diguise Optima Battery?

RAK402

02-24-2017 @ 8:18 AM

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I recently replaced the battery in my 1940 Deluxe Sedan with an Optima battery. The battery is great, but looks terrible. I also have no good way to mount it properly in the stock battery tray. I have seen it mentioned that there are boxes that look like the stock, original battery to hide it in. Are these still available?

As an alternative, I have two of the Ford Script, tar-top batteries from a few decades back. Both are dead, but I was wondering if the insides could be removed to use the case to hide the Optima.

Any assistance/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all in advance.

ford38v8

02-24-2017 @ 11:32 AM

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Your old batteries are your best option in my opinion. A little work, a little messy, but a good project. Start by using baking soda to neutralize the acid. Flush with water, add more baking soda till there are no more bubbles. Wrong time of year for the next step, but you'll get the idea... let it dry in the sunshine, getting it hot enough to soften the tar on top, scr*pe out the tar and save it for later use on the new top.

Being careful to preserve the lead Ford script connectors on top, roughly hacksaw out the top and set the connectors aside. Both the top and bottom are to be removed, as well as the dividers within. I used a drill press with a cutter blade on mine, but there are more ways to skin a cat. This is the messiest part of the job, lots of black dust.

Fitting the Optima into the open case will require removal of the mounting tabs on the bottom of the Optima. Don't be too concerned about invalidating your warranty, as the tabs are not a functional part of the battery within, so as long as you don't cut beyond the profile into the inner battery, you're OK with the warranty.

A shopping trip to your local plastic store will produce materials for the new top. You'll need one piece of ABS 1/16" thick, sized to fit the top. You'll need three pieces 3/16" thick, sized to the dimensions of the three cells on the original top. (Hope you measured them before you cut them out!). You'll need a bottle of ABS glue, which is actually a solvent, not a glue. You'll also need a glue capable of gluing the ABS to the rubber-like case.

Carefully lay out the locations of the two terminal holes on the 1/16" top, solvent glue the 3/16" rectangles to the new top, and drill your holes. Mount the lead connectors, using flathead screws from the inside, as that surface must lay flat on top of the Optima.

The new top installed, the old tar can be reinstalled to perfectly imitate the look of the original battery. The old caps can be installed in whatever manner you prefer.

Now a word about the model of battery you are replacing. Your '40 Ford will have had a 2HF battery, which the Optima will fit nicely into. The earlier Fords used a 2LF battery, which is too short to fit the Optima into unless a skirt of some sort is used on the bottom. For your 2HF, the case will lower onto the Optima, and sit flat on the battery mount, but the Optima must be supported at the correct height. So, you will need to determine the thickness of the shelf on the bottom to raise the Optima to the correct height within the new case.

The results of your labor can easily pass muster on the Concourse, depending on the care taken in the installation, and the fun of doing it yourself provides an additional measure of pride.

Alan

This message was edited by ford38v8 on 2-24-17 @ 11:34 AM

RAK402

02-24-2017 @ 11:09 PM

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ford38v8,

Wow!

Thank you for the greatly detailed answer!

Absolutely outstanding!

TomO

02-25-2017 @ 7:37 AM

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You don't need to remove the bottom of your old case, just remove the separators to the level needed to support the battery high enough to put on the top covers that you make. If you remove a little too much, you can place shims under the Optima. I like this arrangement better because it is easier to remove the battery, when needed to clean the engine compartment.

I did not glue the top to my battery case, I used 3M black rope caulk to seal the top to the case. It looks just like the tar on the original battery. This came in handy when I had to replace the Optima.

Save your other script battery case, in case a fellow Club member needs one.

Tom

RAK402

03-06-2017 @ 1:31 PM

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Thank you Tom!

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